A BUILTH Wells woman is to be detained at a psychiatric facility after embarking on a spree of vandalism which resulted in nearly £15,000 of damage being caused.

Katrina Duffin, 35, previously admitted causing criminal damage on three separate occasions this year, in February, April and then July.

On February 22 she smashed windows at three shop premises on the high street, including an off-licence, takeaway shop and barbers. The amount of damage caused on that occasion was estimated to have cost between £8,000 and £9,000.

Duffin, of Parc-Y-Castell, Builth, then threatened one of the victimised businessowners, telling him she would cause further damage if repairs were carried out, on April 15. On Saturday, July 9, meanwhile, she caused more than £5,000 worth of damage by smashing windows belonging to a BMW car.

She entered guilty pleas to all five charges of criminal damage on July 11.

The three February offences included destroying a door valued between £6-7,000 belonging to the Builth Food and Wine Store, destroying a window and sign worth £1,628 belonging to Eazy Cutz and causing £500 of damage to a window at Kebab 2000.

On April 15, Duffin admitted threatening Nitan Patel, telling him “If you fix it I’ll smash it again, until you go away from here” in relation to a window belonging to him.

The July 9 incident involved her destroying the front driver and passenger windows of a blue BMW valued at over £5,000.

Duffin was not present at Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates' Court on Monday, October 24, where it was decided she is to be detained at the Cygnet Hospital Bierley, near Bradford.

She has been in custody ever since admitting the offences in July.